As the only doctor in the frontier town of Savage Wells, Gideon MacNamara knows his prospects for a bride are limited. The womenfolk in town are either too young, too old, or already spoken for. So, being a practical man, he decides to take advantage of the matchmaking service of the day—mail-order brides—and sends away for a woman with nursing experience.

When Miriam steps off the stagecoach in Savage Wells, she sees a bright future in front of her. But when the town—and Gideon—meets her, ready for a wedding, her excitement quickly turns to horror. Somehow Dr. MacNamara’s message had gotten turned around. He didn’t want a nurse, he wanted a wife. When she refuses to marry him, she finds herself stranded in Savage Wells with some very unhappy townspeople.

But Gideon is not like the other men Miriam has met. Embarrassed by the misunderstanding, he offers her a job, and the two begin an awkward—and often humorous—dance of getting to know each other as they work to care for the people of their town. Romance blossoms between the two, but when a former medical associate of Miriam’s arrives in town, Gideon and the other townsfolk must rally around Miriam to protect her from a dangerous fate. Gideon and Miriam must decide if they are willing to risk their hearts for each other even as buried secrets are brought to light.

I really liked Dr. Gideon MacNamara in the last book, The Sheriffs of Savage Wells, and I was looking forward to his story. He is an endearing character, and I wanted to see him get his happy ending. Being such a practical person, he decides to send for a mail-order bride who is also a nurse. Things do not go smoothly.

Miriam arrives thinking that she is only there for a job. The entire town is gathered expecting to see a wedding, and Gideon is embarrassed when he is rejected in front of everyone. However, since Gideon is such a sweetheart he offers Miriam the job anyway.

While I didn’t like the “quick judgment” of the town being against Miriam, I did like that they stood behind Gideon. It was nice to see him get the support that he deserves.

One of my favorite scenes was with Rupert: “Rupert’s face twisted with disgust, ‘Did your arm fall off?'” I love when children ask questions like this. His entire conversation was adorable. Rupert was such a great character.

Sarah M. Eden continues to give us realistic characters with a lot of depth and interesting story-lines that draw the reader in. I loved returning to Savage Wells.